In an era of fierce competition between such hardened professionals as Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, the French racing driver Patrick Tambay managed to bring the air and the ethics of an old-school gentleman amateur to the Formula One paddock.
Tambay, who has died aged 73, had the skill and tenacity to win two grands prix for the Scuderia Ferrari, the Ferrari racing team. Sometimes, however, there were other priorities. In Detroit in 1983 he exasperated its manager by skipping a post-race debrief in order to find a television on which to watch his compatriot Yannick Noah win the French Open tennis tournament.
